Container for cassou straws

ABSTRACT

The container comprises a tube having a closed bottom and open top. An opening is formed in the tube sidewall at a point spaced a sufficient distance above the bottom of the tube so that, when the tube is loaded with Cassou straws, their upper ends are visible therethrough. The bottom end of the container is adapted to keep the straws immersed in liquid nitrogen when the container is removed from its storage tank.

United States Patent Day July 22, 1975 [54] CONTAINER FOR CASSOU STRAWS 1,264,040 4/1918 Fackler 220/8 2,390,631 12/1945 Youn 206/443 X [76] Inventor: Fredenck BOX 98; Wmerbum 3,648,891 3/1972 Katz 51 a1 206/443 x Alberta, Canada [22] Filed: June 4, 1973 Primary Examiner-William I. Price Assistant Examiner-Steven M. Pollard [21] Appl 367000 Attorney, Agent, or FirmErnest Peter Johnson [30] Foreign Application Priority Data ABSTRACT May 5, 1972 Canada 141346 The container comprises a tube having a closed bot- [52 U.S. c1. 206/443; 312/73; 220/8; tom and Open e An p g is formed n the e 206/443 sidewall at a point spaced a sufficient distance above 51 Int. Cl B65d 85/20 the bottom of the lube SO that. when the tube is 58 Field of Search 206/443; 220/66, s; loaded with C8880" Straws, their pp ends are visible 22 4; 312/73 therethrough. The bottom end of the container is adapted to keep the straws immersed in liquid nitro- [56] References Cited gen when the container is removed from its storage UNITED STATES PATENTS tank 1,198,027 9/1916 Harbeck 312/73 3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 2 2 ms SHEET 7 PATENTEDJUL22 1975 3; 8951714 SHEET 3 PATENTEDJUL 2 2 ms 3 8 9 5714 1 CONTAINER FOR CASSOU STRAWS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a container for holding a number of Cassou straws, in each of which is stored a dose of bull semen to be used for artificial insemination.

It is standard practice today for a cattle breeder to maintain an inventory of a large number of semen doses obtained from a number of different bulls of different breeds. From time to time the breeder carries a selection of these doses to the ranchers, who provide his market. Each rancher must, in turn, store' the doses which he purchases, until they are needed for insemination. The key consideration in this system is to keep the semen frozen by immersion in liquid nitrogen if it is exposed to ambient temperatures for more than about seconds, the semen begins to rapidly deteriorate.

The system commonly in use in North America today involves sealing each dose individually in a glass ampoule. A number of these ampoules are clipped onto a stick-like element called a cane. The cane has a handle at its upper end on which is printed the name and breed of the bull which produced the doses on the cane. A number of the canes are placed into a cannister. This cannister is a metal tube having a mesh bottom and open-top; a longhandle extends up from one side of the tube. A number of'cannisters are stored in a large, narrow-necked, bottle-like, insulated steel storage tank. The storage tank is at least partly filled with liquid nitrogen. The tank outlet is sealed with a cork the cannister handles extend above the tank through grooves formed in the periphery of this cork. To transfer ampoules from one tank to another, one must pull a cannister from the tank, locate the desired cane in the cannister and transfer the desired ampoules to the second tank, all within the space of fifteen seconds.

In recent years a much improved package for the semen has been developed. This package is commonly referred to a the Cassou straw, after its inventor. The straw is a plastic tube about 5 inches in length and having an external diameter of 1/16 inch. The straw is thermally sealed at one end and a tiny cork is inserted at the other end. After cutting off the sealed end, the semen can be ejected from the straw with a plunger which forces the cork ahead of it.

The main advantage of the Cassou straw is that it saves space. Many more doses can now be kept in each cannister and tank. This, in turn, means that the breeder and rancher can maintain a greater variety of semen in the same amount of equipment than was previously the case. However, there is a need for means for holding the straws in nitrogen in the existing cannisters, keeping in mind that the cannisters are at least twice as long as the straws.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a container for storing Cassou straws, which container is characterized by: the capability to retain the straws immersed in liquid nitrogen until they are withdrawn for transfer or use; the capability of being easily loaded with straws; the capability of permitting visual examination of the straws when they are in the container so that they can be quickly identified; and the capability of extending to at least the top lip of the cannister so that the container can be easily identified.

In accordance with the invention, a tubular container is provided having a bottom closure and open top. The container is of sufficient length, so as to extend to about the top lip of the cannister when placed therein. An opening is provided in the side wall of the container at a point spaced above the bottom closure. This opening is positioned so that, when the container is loaded with Cassou straws, the upper ends of these straws are located at the opening. The straws can therefore be identified, as by a color code at their upper ends, and grasped with forceps for removal. The opening is sized so that the flexible straw can be removed lengthwise therethrough.

A feature of the container is that the straws remain immersed in the liquid nitrogen retained in the container when it is removed from the tank.

Another feature is that the container is amenable to use with a color coding system. A flag can be used at the top of the container to identify the breed of the bulls whose semen is held therein. The Cassou straws can also be colored at their upper ends to identify the bull. As a result, the source of the semen in a straw can be readily identified by visual inspection through the container opening, all without removing thestraw from its protective nitrogen bath. In addition, the efficiency of loading and distribution is improved over the prior art.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container comprises two or more segments connected together at their ends. The lower segment has a length slightly less than that of a Cassou straw. It is downwardly tapered so that, when it is forced into a bundle of straws and then withdrawn, it will carry with it a full load of straws which are held by the wedging action of the tapered side wall. This embodiment has the advantage that it can be quickly loaded.

Another feature of the container is that it enables Cassou straws to be used with existing tanks and cannisters. The capacity of this equipment is greatly increased as a result.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front view, in section, of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view, partly in section, showing the container in a cannister;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, in section, showing another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the container of FIG. 5 illustrating the lower segment of the container being withdrawn with forceps;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the lower segment, of the container of FIG. 5, being inserted into a bundle of straws for loading.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the Figures, the container 1 comprises a tube 2 having a bottom closure 3 and open top 4. A transparent cap 5 is fitted over the open end of the tube 2. An opening 6 is formed in the side wall of the tube 2. The opening 6 is: spaced above the bottom closure 3 a sufficient distance so that the upper ends 7 of the Cassou straws 8 are visible.therethrough. Each of the straw ends 7 maybe color-coded to identify the bull whose semen the straw contains. In-FIG. 4 the container is shown in a cannister 9. Itwill be noted that the transparent cap is visible over the top lip 10 of the cannister 9. A color-coded flag 11, extends up into the cap 5 this flag fianctionsto identify the breed of bull from which the straw dosages were obtained.

Another embodiment of the container 1 is shown in FIG. 5. This container 1 is comprised of lower and upper segments 12, 13 which are connectable by a friction fit. The lower segment 12 is downwardly tapered so that, when forced into a bundle 14 of Cassou straws, the side wall 15 will wedge around 35 to 40 straws and ensure that they remain within the segment 12 when it is withdrawn. The.container can be quickly loaded in this manner.

In use, the container 1 is loaded with Cassou straws, either by dropping them in the open end 4 or by inserting the bottom segment 12 into a bundle of straws. Loading is carried out using a mesh tray, submerged in liquidnitrogen, to hold the straws and container. The top end of ,the'loaded container 1 is marked with a color code to. identify the breed involved, as by inserting a flag 11 therein. The loaded container 1 is then removedrfrom the tray and placed in the cannister 9. The cannister 9,.in turn, is submerged in a body ofliquid nitrogen contained within a storage tank (not shown). Nitrogen flows into the container 1, through the opening .6, and fills it. When straws 8 are to be transferred, the cannister 9 is pulled up to the mouth of the tank; inspection of the flag 11 indicates the breed of the bull whose semen is in each container 1. The appropriate container 1 is removed from the cannister 9 and transferred to a new cannister. During this'operation, the straws 8 remain immersed in the body of nitrogen retained in that portion of the container, which is beneath the opening 6. If the straws are to be removed from the cannister 9, their color codes can be visually examined through the opening 6. The appropriate straws can then be removed by pulling them through the opening 6 with forceps.

What is claimed is: 1. In combination: a container for holding Cassou straws in a cannister;

and v a plurality of Cassou straws disposed in the container; said container being tubular, closed at the bottom end and open at the top, and having sufficient length so as to extend to the top lip of the cannister when placed therein, said container further having a window opening in its side wall intermediate its ends, said opening being spaced above the bottom closure a predetermined distance and being sized so that the upper ends only of the straws are located at the opening and are exposed'for identification and removal, said opening being of sufficient size to permit a Cassou straw to be withdrawn therethrough; I said container comprising upper and lower segments, the side wall opening being located in the upper segment, said segments being held together frictionally. 2. The fcombination as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said lower segment is downwardly tapered. 3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein: a removable cap closes the open upper end of the container. 

1. In combination: a container for holding Cassou straws in a cannister; and a plurality of Cassou straws disposed in the container; said container being tubular, closed at the bottom end and open at the top, and having sufficient length so as to extend to the top lip of the cannister when placed therein, said container further having a window opening in its side wall intermediate its ends, said opening being spaced above the bottom closure a predetermined distance and being sized so that the upper ends only of the straws are located at the opening and are exposed for identification and removal, said opening being of sufficient size to permit a Cassou straw to be withdrawn therethrough; said container comprising upper and lower segments, the side wall opening being located in the upper segment, said segments being held together frictionally.
 2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said lower segment is downwardly tapered.
 3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein: a removable cap closes the open upper end of the container. 